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Emancipating Caribbean Children's Literature  August 2023When I reflect on why Caribbean children’s literature means so much to me, I think about the huge responsibility laid on the shoulders of the Caribbean children’s/YA writer/publisher. Ours is the burden of unsilencing voices, putting names to anonymity, reconditioning mindsets that are formed from the cradle. Ours is the burden of emancipating Caribbean literature for young people from literary models passed down to us from colonial headmasters and embracing instead models of our own making. 10 New Picture Books for Caribbean American Heritage Month and Beyond  June 2023Whenever we speak of heritage observances, the challenge is avoiding lazy communication. Heritage celebrations are conversation starters, and as such, they should do more than just create an atmosphere of goodwill toward the groups being celebrated. Social intercourse and conversational rituals that establish a mood of sociability between different ethnic and racial groups serve their purpose but will not break the cultural trance of indifference. 14 Caribbean Picture Books Out in 2023  February 2023The beginning of a new year is a time to make changes, reassess things that aren’t working, and regularize new routines and behavior. One of the things I’d like to see is a sharper focus on children’s books by Caribbean American authors. If we’re making inclusion and belonging the warp and weft of the children’s publishing industry — which, of course, we should — then the Caribbean American/Caribbean experience counts. Community, Nature, and Wonder as a Balm in Troubling Times  April 2021I hope the story draws folks together whenever it’s read. I hope it draws you, dear reader, a little closer to wonder, a little closer to nature, a little closer to what truly matters. I hope it helps you remember the balm, perhaps even the cure, that we’re all searching for in these times: community, nature, the simple things in all their undeniable power. 9 Picture Book Biographies About Caribbean Women  March 2020March is Women's History Month in honor of the countless women whose extraordinary lives, accomplishments, and talents have made the world a better, more interesting place. These inspiring nonfiction books for primary readers foreground the contributions of Caribbean women who have blazed trails in the professions, the arts, sports, and social justice. Anansesem's Caribbean Children's/YA Online Bookstore Launched  August 2019In building the new-and-improved Anansesem Online Bookstore, I sought to give own voices Caribbean CYA books the exclusive virtual shelf space they deserve. My hope is that these virtual bookshelves will be a stepping stone for individuals and organizations looking to create vibrant, exclusive physical spaces for housing, displaying and selling Caribbean CYA books in the real world. On the Imperialist ‘Charity’ of Rebuilding Caribbean Children’s Libraries with Eurocentric Books  July 2018Now that hurricanes Irma and Maria have meted out their violence in the Caribbean, the library and publishing communities in more powerful nations have begun to mobilize to help rebuild the islands’ damaged libraries. The American Library Association has started a Disaster Relief Fund for this purpose, and similar efforts by library supporters in other nations are materializing and expected to continue. Beyond the “Four Fs”: Caribbean Own Voices  November 2017In 2013 Deborah Ahenkorah, cofounder and executive director of Golden Baobab (a social enterprise aimed at promoting African children’s literature), wrote an article in The Huffington Post titled “Where Are the Stories for African Children?” In it she decried the relative absence of books in which African children could see their physical likenesses, beliefs, and immediate everyday experiences reflected. I remember reading the article and thinking that someone should write one titled “Where Are the Stories for Caribbean Children?” Challenging the Hidden Curriculum: A Middle School Teacher’s Use of Multicultural Literature in the Classroom  November 2016Debbie Repak is the seventh and eighth grade Reading and Writing Teacher at FACTS. As a student teacher, I worked in her classroom and became interested in her use of multicultural literature with students. Previously, Debbie worked as a Humanities teacher at Welch Elementary School in the Council Rock School District. As a white, middle class teacher, she has worked hard to build bridges with Asian-American, African-American and Latino students from low-income, working class and immigrant families.
Cultural Authenticity in the Emerging Caribbean Picturebook Aesthetic  August 2013Authenticity in the emerging Caribbean picturebook aesthetic must be examined in light of issues of authorship and publication. The “insider versus outsider” debate is relevant, given that many Caribbean picturebooks are written and illustrated by cultural outsiders and are produced by foreign publishing houses. Indeed, the Caribbean picturebook aesthetic has developed to a large degree outside of the Caribbean. |
11 Anticipated Caribbean Picture Books of 2024 May 2024Longtime followers of Caribbean children’s literature can now justifiably contend that it has crossed the Rubicon: no longer an inchoate literature but rather an established literature, although—sclerotic diversity barriers in publishing implicated—still far from being a fully vested one. In 2024, the eleven picture books below will be added to what is, if not yet a panoply of Caribbean books for young readers, then surely a progression. Writings for The Horn Book Magazine June 2023Summer is a longtime contributor to The Horn Book Magazine, the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. Click the link below to read her articles for Horn Book which cover topics ranging from Caribbean children’s literature, to picture books that celebrate grandparents, to African children’s literature, and more. And click this link to read Summer’s reviews of children’s and young adult books in The Horn Book Guide. 5 Picture Books Featuring Caribbean Boy Protagonists Coming in 2023  May 2023Most male Caribbean people need to start developing a relationship with literature that’s simultaneously culturally-affirming and gender-affirming from early childhood if they’re even going to consider opening themselves to literature’s call and its boundless benefits. In order for that to happen we need more picture books that help Caribbean boys of all types feel loved, valued, and seen, and that counteract the negative messaging they receive about masculinity. Writings for Kirkus Reviews  November 2021—March 2022Summer Edward has written several articles for Kirkus Reviews on topics related to children's literature in general and Caribbean literature for young readers in particular. Read Edward's writings published in Kirkus at the link below. The Nature of Belonging: Making a Home for Children’s Literature in the Caribbean’s Literary Landscape and Letter to a Child Leaving Trinidad  April 2020Children's books that socialize children toward an understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the place of humans within it, and that reflect and reference Caribbean children's own physical likenessnes, beliefs, cultures, and immediate everyday experiences, offer a querencia of words, images and imaginaries within which both children and adults can learn to master the art of nostos—a Greek word denoting the idea of returning home from a long journey—of coming back home to ourselves, our communities, and our natural, cultural and inner ways of knowing. Caribbean Immigrants Tell Their Story: 17 Own Voices Picture Books February 2020Although the stories that make the news about Caribbean immigrant communities highlight their vulnerability and disenfranchisement, there is a much wider, more positive narrative to be found in the adventures and achievements of creative, thriving, resilient Caribbean people living in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, as well as North America and Europe. It is crucial that many types of narratives about Caribbean immigrant experiences are published and lauded, and not just tragic stories of suffering and identity conflict. 7 “Own Voices” Caribbean Picture Books Depicting Empowered Girlhood  November 2018As a little girl growing up in Trinidad, I and children of my generation were fortunate to read the legendary Ladybird Sunstart and Boyo and Carla basal readers throughout our primary school years. In these books, independent, intelligent, intrepid and well-loved Caribbean girls who looked and lived like me went on adventures, solved mysteries, played sports, learned valuable lessons, and were accepted and supported by their loved ones or community. Partly because of those stories, I grew up taking for granted that it was perfectly normal for a girl to be clever, confident, strong willed, and also kind and generous. The Importance of Caribbean Children’s Literature  June 2018The recent scandal around people from the Windrush generation who came to settle in the UK after the Second World War has put Caribbean culture in the news. Among this group you’ll find children’s and YA authors like Grace Nichols, Valerie Bloom, Trish Cooke, Alex Pascall, the late James Berry, Faustin Charles, Benjamin Zephaniah, John Agard and Malorie Blackman, who was Children’s Laureate from 2013 to 2015. Anansesem has published work and interviews with some of these authors, and we’re proud to have helped them build an audience in the UK.
The Effects of Negative News on Young People: Harnessing Literacy for Healing  September 2017As xenophobic, sexist, racist, and homophobic rhetoric becomes increasingly commonplace, young readers need empowering, accessible books that celebrate diversity, tolerance, and social justice. The right books and stories can open doors for meaningful conversations and propel young people toward civic engagement.
Children's Literature as a Vehicle for Peace  September 2016I belong to the community of educators and people working in children’s publishing. Ours is a community powerfully positioned to create peace by shaping the minds and strengthening the resilience of the future generation. Children’s literature, far from being a frivolous societal diversion, can be a cornerstone for creating a peaceful world, but only if we can manage to succeed in re-envisioning the children’s publishing industry to harness this great potential. Writings for K12 Reader  November 2010In 2010, Summer wrote a handful of articles and book reviews for K12 Reader, a website that provided reading instruction resources for parents and teachers. In her writings, she shared literacy tools and tips to help build culturally responsive classrooms. Read her K12reader.com contributions at the link below.
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